Cecilia Bartoli

the product quality was excellent, I would have liked to be able to listen to the content clip before buying

While reading Oliver Sack's book, Musicophilia, about the neuroscience of music illustrated through cases of neurological disability that knocked out areas of the brain involved in music perception and creation, I learned that children listening to Mozart developed specific regions of the brain and improve their mathematics scores. I decided that my 5 month old grandson's developing brain would benefit from listening to Mozart. I chose this collection of Mozart's works and was not disappointed with the quality of the music, though my grandson is now six months old and not yet doing calculus.

You get Mozart's best works in 2 CD. The sound is flawless to the common ear. Get it! if you love Mozart

I am not much into classical music.. Read about Mozart and wanted to make sure I listen to one of the all time classics.

Though I may not be qualified enough to review a classic, On a whole it was a pleasant experience for me and a good add on to my car, especially when alone.. The quality of the CD content was good too..!!

4/5

Very talented composer! I like Mozart! It would be nicer if the CD had more on Marriage of Figaro. I love opera!

I heard this CD on a PBS pledge drive (it was a premium) and found myself loving every cut on it! I was in my car and just wanted to keep on driving and listening. This is by far my most-played CD - I've had to make it a weekend only listen to prevent getting burned out on it. HIGHLY recommend it. Even if you are unfamiliar with some of the pieces, you will quickly learn to love them. . . . I must end this review - I'm off to listen to the "flower duet" for the 100th time. . .

I'm new to opera, but this CD has really beautiful music. I use it in my CD clock radio (Timex, that I purchased here also) to go to sleep to.

21 Dec, 2007
The movements in this collection move Me as much as My very bowel. Hence, it might work for your too. Try it, you'll like it if you want to be moved to your very "soul".

Am just discoving the glory of opera. Not all opera, but the arias that make your heart soar. My husband turned away from opera because he was "overdosed" at an early age and it really spoiled his pleasure for life. He's gone now, and I'm discovering what I've missed. This is a wonderful CD and well worth having.

If one was wanting to introduce a friend to the wonderful world of opera, this would be a great cd to buy them. Also at this time when many of us are worrying about Luciano and his health , it is great to hear him featured on many of the selections. A great buy and wonderful collection.

To my great surprise, in the last two decades of his life Solti turned into a marvelous Mozart interpreter. His '80's Figaro, and '90's Magic Flute and Cosi fan Tutte are among my favorite versions, Sir Georg's sometimes abrasive nervous energy (and scholarly use of reduced orchestral forces) makes for fantastically dramatic, anti-romantic readings. This requiem, recorded on the 200th anniversary of Mozart's death in St Stephen's cathedral in Vienna benefits from an awesome reverberant acoustic, a quartet of fabluous operatic singers (and let's face it, this is an opera manque, religiose, not religious, "the sickly sweets of operatic sin" as Stravinsky called it, and a good thing too I say). Excerpts of the actual Mass ceremony are interspersed, and along with the opening tolling of the bells, there is a tremendous sense of occasion and theater here. Somewhere, I like to think WAM was smiling.
This is my recommendation for a first-choice recording.

Good buy. This Requiem version is wonderful and uplifting. Bought Leonard Bernstein's version some years ago. It moves so slowly and seems full of unrelenting angst--sounds more like Wagner than Mozart. If you like the music of Mozart's Requiem, this version is much more friendly.

The best of the Requiem with good sound quality, cathedral and religious effects. Listening to the whole CD is an experience by itself. A bonus if one favors Latin mass.

Listen to Mozart's requiem during a live performance and an actual mass.
Quite a treat.

I highly recommend this CD to all Mozart lovers and to all who appreciate classical, religious music. Masterfully performed under the direction of Sir Georg Solti.

Bartoli's new CD is a great idea, no doubt about it. It is a most fine product with a very interesting idea behind it.
BUT, can a singer with a nice and small voice manipulate the truth just because she wants money?
C'MON Cecilia!!! You can say that Malibran was a mezzo, you can say you like her debuted singing Rosina, you can use a 430 pitch to sing Amina or Norma but you can't deny the truth.
Bartoli's voice is small...very nice with a wonderfull coloratura technic but small. Malibran's voice was huge... it's not me who says that but the critics of the time when she lived.
Can Madame Bartoli sing in a theatre Norma, Fidelio, Semiramide (and Arsace too by the way), Tancredi, Ninetta in La Gazza Ladra, Elvira in I Puritani or Adina in L'elisir d'amore???
Can Bartoli sing those roles??? maybe yes, with a small orchestra and in a lower pitch like she does in her concerts.... but can Bartoli sing those roles in huge theatre like La Scala, San Carlo in Naples, L'Opera de Paris or Covent Garden where Malibran sang them with enormous triumph??
NO WAY!
Malibran's voice is a legend, she was a true phenomenon of the early XIX century. She can sing almost everything and in addition to that she was an amazing actress as well as and amazing musician.
And Bartoli??? She's a great media character with a nice little voice. So Don't try to erase the true about the greatest diva of the opera.

I should start out saying I generally do not like to listen to female singers five minutes (I have always loved Baritones). There is only one singer that is the exception and that is Cecilia.

I certainly feel that there are enough different songs on here that there is something for everyone. There are slow flowing songs like "Se Un Mio Desir" and fast paced songs such as "Ah! Non" to name a few. Cecilia's voice is distinctive and a pleasure to listen to.

--Sarah

....Maria Malibran must have been a real piece of work. And if the music written for her is any indication, she must have been an absolutely fabulous singer. Malibran was opera's first girl superstar, but her personal life kept getting in the way until her tragic death at 28. Her legend is sort of like "What if Amy Winehouse could actually sing"? A book I had some years ago of juicy tales about great singers gave her a large chapter.....As to the issue at hand.........

Cecilia Bartoli has given us an album of works written for the great contralto. Now, if the music is an unknown quantity, Cecilia sure isn't. The great Mezzo of our day has long specialized in the unusual, and this recording brings out all of her massive talent. You won't know the numbers [at least I didn't], except for "casta diva", from Norma. Do you care? That's the question.

This is a beautifully produced album [the book alone is worth the price], that at 79'47" gives full value. Gorgeous girl, great music, well sung. Perhaps it's for the fan of the rare and unusual; if that's you, go for it.

We should all be glad that Cecilia Bartoli has such clout in the world of classical music, because without it, we wouldn't have such interesting recordings as this one or her earlier Salieri album. Here she explores repertoire associated with the legendary 19th-century singer Maria Malibran (terms such as soprano and mezzo-soprano weren't as rigorously applied then as they are now; scholars surmise that she was basically a mezzo with a freakishly high extension that enabled her to tackle many of what today are considered soprano roles.) I suppose the implication is that Ms. Bartoli is today's equivalent of Malibran, but I think not.

I've never understood the Bartoli phenomenon. Lord knows enough knowledgeable people are in awe of her talent--I remember one vocal authority, after hearing one of her first recitals, declared her to be "a perfect singer." I never heard her live (maybe that's the only way to appreciate her gifts), but I remember the first time I heard one of her recordings on the radio. Not knowing who was singing, I was curious as to just who it was who had such a strange-sounding voice and technique. I was shocked to learn that it was this supposedly "perfect" singer.

For starters, her voice, to my ear, is not beautiful or sensuous. It often exhibits a guttural, almost shrill tone that makes her sound old and which I find grating. She's an attractive woman, but when she sings (as is painfully obvious in her video performances), she grimaces and contorts her mouth in a most unattractive and distracting manner. I also find her emotional range to be limited. She seems to have two modes: a soft, admittedly beautiful, legato that seems to indicate quiet introspection; and a breathy declamation that connotes agitated distress. In the Mad Scene from "I Puritani," for example, I hear no sadness in what must be the most heart-breaking set piece Bellini ever composed. And her coloratura!--It sounds like a cross between gargling and hiccoughs. Unfortunately, for the repertoire she most frequently performs, coloratura facility is a requirement. (I was once at a book signing for Dame Joan Sutherland, who was asked her opinion of Bartoli. She tried to be tactful, but said, "I must say her coloratura production sounds very strange. It will be interesting to see how long she's around." Well, Bartoli is obviously still around, but she also still has that strangely cackling coloratura sound.) One wonders why no teacher or coach ever told her not to aspirate each note so strongly. I suppose we should be grateful that when she essays the legendary aria "Casta Diva" from Bellini's "Norma," she does not include the cabaletta--which is, after all, half the aria.

Bartoli does offer a generous selection of obscure and rarely heard selections. It is no surprise that the disc includes eight "world premiere" recordings--as phenomenal as Malibran was, virtually no major operatic role was composed specifically for her by any composer held in esteem today; the closest she came was when Bellini made a special mezzo arrangement of "La Sonnambula" for her, an arrangement she never got to sing (although Frederica von Stade did perform it several decades back). As for the bulky book that is bound with the disc, it has shamelessly been designed to look like a perfume ad from Vanity Fair; I'm surprised she isn't sporting her Rolex watch on the cover. For a thorough grounding in the facts of Malibran's life, one would do better to dig up a copy of Howard Bushnell's "Maria Malibran: A Biography of the Singer" (now unfortunately out of print, but available in libraries).

Quite a few years ago, near the beginning of her career, Marilyn Horne recorded a remarkable two-LP set called "Souvenir of a Golden Era," in which she paid tribute to Malibran and her sister, the almost equally famous mezzo Pauline Viardot. None of that recording's repertoire overlaps with Bartoli's disc (although it includes "Bel raggio" from "Semiramide," which Bartoli recorded on her "Rossini Heroines" disc), but I frankly don't find Bartoli's instrument to be in the same league as Horne's. Too bad Decca has never released the earlier recording complete on CD. I think that would give us a better notion of what Malibran might have sounded like.

Had Malibran's father, the famous singer and teacher Garcia, heard the singing on this album from a contemporary diva, he would undoubtedly have enrolled her in a rigorous and extended remedial singing course.

Bartoli's fioriture is entirely devoid of legato - each note is separated from the other in the percusive style of a piano. Of course, this defect has been present in Bartoli's singing from the beginning of her career, but it has worsened over the years until it is almost a characature of coloratura singing. Compare Bartoli's treatment of fioriture with almost any contemporary world-class mezzo -- Larmore, Podles, Kasarova, Graham, von Otter -- and the deficiency of Bartoli's technique is glaringly apparent. (On the other hand, Bartoli has acquired an important accomplishment that few of her contemporaries possess: a lovely trill, which is apparent in the very first track of the album).

The voice itslf has largely retained its rich, deep timbre and range of contrasting expressive colors, at least in the lower two-thirds of its compass. However, Bartoli has altered the "mix" in the upper third of her voice (presumably to enable her to more easily navigate the higher tessitura of soprano roles). As a result, the sound of her upper register, while still attractive, is no longer "of a piece" with the rest of the voice; she has gained the ability to sustain a higher tessitura at the expense of color and depth. Moreover, when she presses the upper notes, they take on a frazzled, pressured quality marred by an intrusive fast vibrato.

Partially offsetting these technical limitations is a considerable group of virtues: Bartoli's interpretive verve, expressive variety (each piece is conceived anew), her taste in ornamentation, and her sensitive treatment of sustained lines. When these qualities are in the forefront (as they often are for several minutes at a time during the course of this recital), the concept of the CD as a tribute to one of the greatest bel canto singers of the 19th century is at least reasonably plausible.

Decca deserves high praise for giving this project the deluxe treatment. The hardcover book is sumptuously illustrated and carefully researched, the program is interesting and varied, the conducting and choral work are first-rate. More the pity that the centerpiece of the whole production --Bartoli's singing -- only intermittently evokes the artistry of the famed Maria Malibran.

Cecilia Bartoli may not be the finest mezzo-soprano extant but few would doubt her exceptional artistry and professionalism. In "Se tu m'ami", she transforms simple, even primitive, melodies into beautiful, dare I say, rapturous arias, in the finest bel canto tradition. I now understand why Paisiello was a favourite of Buonaparte and why I should now acknowledge Vivaldi for his considerable versatility and creativity. The disc now occupies a top shelf in my CD rack. Bravissimo Cecilia.

Even for the non opera afficianado, these beautiful songs, rendered with exquisite style and grace and meticulous accompaniment,make for enthralling listening. I listen to this album more than any other I have ever owned. I simply never get tired of the songs. It is a true collection that builds one on the other. It becomes totally engrossing placing the listener in a world all its own.

This disc is a perfect example for young singers studying from the 24 or 26 Italian Songs and Arias and the like. Cecilia Bartoli posesses a beautiful voice.

I feel like recommending this compilation to neophites wanting to listen to some old arias to learn if they like this genre and to singing students:
Ms Bartoli's voice is not beautiful, nor perfect when heard live, but her technique sounds perfectly good on record. Here and there her voice gets harsh, flat, losing brilliance and warmth, but most of the time one can concentrate on the accurate rendering of these old and beautiful arias.

She wisely decided to follow the letter of Parisotti's score, therefore meeting the need of all singing students of having a reference for their study. The agility is outstanding but pronunciation and expression, as well as the perfect gusto in presenting the phrases, are what make this compilation worthwhile. Not a word goes wasted or neglected but her being Italian and her sensitivity manage to avoid overkill.

One could wish she would publish compilations of single authors of the xvi and xvii centuries, edited according to philological criteria or else other compilations of the dated but still useful Parisotti edition.

A great singer is one who dedicates singing to the text itself instead to himself/herself.
This is achieved 100% by Ms. Bartoli in this earlier album of hers. The recordings here cannot be termed otherwise than 'immaculate'. The very opening song 'Gia sole dal gange' is a display of Bartoli's unique timbre in its full beauty - glorious, rich and full. Many singers could tackle the range of this song, mezzos or sopranos, but who could pull it off in the manner as Ms. Bartoli? Credit to the one who picked this as the opening song of this fantastic album.
The songs following come in different styles and moods, all given full authentic interpretations by the singer. Compare the 'Vittoria, vittoria mio core' to 'Intorno al'idol mio' or 'Amarilli, mio bella' the vast contrast of mood, brought out equally well. The songs' requirement of versatility of interpretation is fully catered for.
I hate it when people say that this is a learners' album accompanying the 24 Italian Songs edited by one publisher. Such remarks could barely do justice to Ms. Bartoli's superb artistry, though admittedly, this CD would be an invaluable one for THAT purpose. What about the songs NOT included in the 24 Italian songs?

One can't help but be impressed with the agility in Bartoli's voice. Vocal fireworks! And yet the "Mentre io godo...", "Caldo sangue" and "Lascia la spina..." are so sweet and calming. I consider this CD a must have!

IF you like this type of music and this type of voice, it is a unique compilation. Bartoli sings - as usual - simply perfect. Highly recommended

when I started collecting Bartoli's album I first got "A Portrait", which is great for the Bartoli beginner. You can hear how she started and progressed through Mozart and Donizetti. However, I believe that she shines when it comes to baroque music. She is great Rossini singer but her passion really comes through in Baroque music and on this album. From the vocal fireworks to the passionate pianissimos, this is an album to show that pre-classical music is wonderful to listen to. Minkowski wonderfully backs her up. If I may say, another album to hear his group is on "Anne Sofie Von Otter sings Offenbach." However back to Opera Proibita, this is a great album to appreciate Bartoli's flexibility and musicality.

Just like Farinelli was the opera phenomenon of his time, fast-forward to the 21st century, Bartoli gives once again this music of the Italian settecento a breath of new life in all its splendor and glory.

In Opera Proibita, Bartoli's repertoire not only reflects on her as a consummate vocal artist but also as the ultimate scholar. Rarely an opera singer would dig this dip and go that far to unearth great scores from total obscurity. Even more uncommonly a singer would take the challenge of singing these arias without the risk of ridiculing herself, but to the contrary establishing a new record and precedent.

Her execution of the Handel arias is truly astonishing in coloratura and melismas probably not heard for three hundred years when only the best castrati commanded the virtuosity to tackle these arias. Also surprising and refreshing was to hear works by Handel that show his wild side.

Bartoli brings this album to a high climax with the arias from Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno. This is really her realm and true medium. Her vocal runs in "Un pensiero nemico di face" sound like a first violin, and as if this was not difficult enough she ornaments the da capo melismas in tempo from allegro to presto molto vivace, and transitions into a note crescendo with great ease and certainty. Wonderful!

This disc has all the elements needed for an amazing disc. The conductor, orchestra, and music are all top notch. Bartoli's singing is amazing. I find this album energizing and a testament to how exciting baroque music can be. However, if you don't like Bartoli's voice in previous recordings, you probably won't change your opinion because of this disc.

Cecilia Bartoli possesses a unique combination of beauty of voice, vocal technique, and musical knowledge. Although sometimes her intensity may strike a newer listener as "over-the-top", I found it very much in character for each and every piece that she sings. It is not often that a singer puts as much of herself into the character she is portraying as Ms Bartoli does. One reviewer mentions her "aspirations" on some rapid passages. In my experience, this is a style and method appropriate for many Italian composers. Ms Bartoli doesn't use this style when singing Mozart or Haydn, for example.
In this album Cecilia treats us to works of Vivaldi that are seldom performed. And the supporting orchestral ensemble, Il Giardino Armonico, performing on authentic period instruments, simply could not be improved upon. The overwhelming enthusiasm of the Parisian audience was well-deserved!

The selection of pieces on this album is very nice, and I have greatly enjoyed listening to it.

I recommend it most for Bartoli fans and people who are not experts on early music. I think most people will find it beautiful; I felt the phrasings on some of the pieces (especially the faster ones) could have been somewhat more graceful, and the ornamentation could have been more elaborate.

Cecilia Bartoli has a great artistic sense, which shows, but she is mainly a bel canto and Mozart singer, and that shows too.

If you are interested in hearing Vivaldi operas more stylistically performed, Amazon has a number of other recordings. If you like Bartoli and you're looking for music to enjoy, this album is for you.

This album is so good that it has converted me to liking Vivaldi! I'm a fan of other Baroque composers such as Bach, Telemann, Couperin and Handel but had never really appreciated Vivaldi until I heard this album. Cecilia's technical experise and her intense interpretation makes this album a delight to listen to. She brings Vivaldi's arias to life as I've heard no other performer manage to do so. A brilliant album that I listen to again and again.

I was amazed with this album of super fine music. I had known all my life that Vivaldi wrote tons of operas, but finding them, or the scores of them, was nearly impossible. In time I found a few, and was I ever amazed and disappointed. The published scores that were available were what was common practice of that time: there were the vocal lines and a figured bass and nothing more. There were no indications of orchestration. Even with that little bit, I was shocked with the intensity and complexity of this vocal writing. This man knew how to write for the voice. Until singers are willing to research his works, we, the public, will know him for a very orchestra suites and nothing more. The result will be a very stilted view of what the man had to offer.

Now getting to the performance by Bartoli. She really loves this music, as you can tell. Yes, she is mannered in some of the things she does, but that is her way of seeing the music. Her technical skills are amazing, and her interpretations (the "drama" behind the music) is just as intense. Some think Bartoli has a strong voice. Actually, her voice is very small, if you have heard her in performance (they weren't even sure she would be heard when she sang at the Met), and it has a very delicate quality, even when being "brash." Recordings give you the impression she has a much larger sound than she does, but that is because small voices record truer and better than large ones (the industry still can't capture large voices at all). However, even with a small voice, in performance she is breathtaking. She makes the music live. She has weird mannerisms one sees that to American trained singers are completely unacceptable (weird facial expressions, strange things done with he mouth and teeth, head bobbing, etc), but that has never distracted from her overall intensity. Yes, she is intense. You are literally taken away with her interpretation, and her skills. Interestingly, she is more famous in music circles for her cancelations (she cancels more performances in a year than she actually sings). I love this recording, not only because of the music, but because I have seen her sing some of this music live. She really LIVES what she sings, and that comes across in this recording.

A special note: in the little booklet that comes with the recording, Bartoli herself writes her impressions of this music. It is extremely insightful. Whether you like her or not, you have to admire the work she has done to make this music live and be as authentic in interpretation as she can. It is her love of this music that has caused her to record this album. I am thankful she did, for now, I can take those old scores I have and get a better understanding of what the composer was doing. Would that more singers would explore new/old works, and I think it would be far more interesting to have them write their impressions of the music they are singing than the standard academic essays we must read. Reading about how she came to this music, in her own words, gave a different dimension to listening. Now I was listening to see if she was successful in communicating what she felt this music had to offer. SHE WAS.

This is simply the best work of Cecilia Bartoli. Her voice is a delicatessen and Il Giardino Armonico sounds very very well. I think that I don't need to say anymore. Simply: BUY IT!!

This, one of Mozart's finest, most elegant opera, is performed superbly in this recording. Bartoli is absolutely glorious here . Thank God she recorded this before her voice became smaller, and more "chirpy" sounding as it has been in her last few recordings. I had not heard Cuberli before this CD, but she has now become one of my favorite soprano's. Her high notes are velvety and "regal". The only complaint I have about her, is that in "Come Scoglio" she seems to be slightly flat on her high B-flat (the high C that follows is just fine though...go figure!) Also, Cuberli's and Bartoli's voice blend very well in their duets. I don't think there was ever a better Ferrando than Kurt Streit. He has a beautiful lyric voice, and he has great control and ease in his upper register. His "Un aura amorosa" is particularly exquisite. Furlanetto has a slightly "woofy" voice, but that's probably his only flaw. He gives a great performance, and he doesn't just sing the role, he does alot of acting as well. The role of Don Alfonso fit's Tomlinson's voice like a glove. He only has one aria, but I can't imagine it being sung any better than he sings it here. What more can one say about Rodgers except that she is delightful as Despina. All the performance's on this disc are exciting and thoroughly enjoyable. This is the best Cosi on record.

Excellent music, Mozart at his fullest... it's just God's Voice... a must-have for every human being....

This is an excellent CD, quite at the top of my list. The only other recording of the opera I have heard was the Solti live recording with Fleming and Von Otter. Though that was very good and Solti's conducting far outshines the Berlin Philharmonic on this CD, I must be truthful & admit my personal bias towards anything Bartoli and, most especially, Kurt Streit. I am not the biggest fan of Furlanetto, but Streit makes up for his co-singer's iniquities with a smooth, effortless, beautiful yet powerful tenor that I could rave about FOREVER............This is not a big role for Streit, but he has not got much in the way of CD recordings. Let us hope he will be discovered by more people in his debut this July as Don Jose!

To be honest I am not an admirer of Bartoli's voice and art. However her interpretation of these 'Composizioni da Camera' is excellent, very sensitive, in style and with deep emotion and feeling. It's the BEST performance I have ever heard of these songs.

Cecilia Bartoli is one of my favorite artists. On this recording you hear her interpretation on some well known Italian gems! I use it as a resource in my teaching studio.

The booklet coming with the CD says of Cecilia Bartoli that she "is justly famous for her coloratura mezzo-soprano voice and her interpretations of Rossini and Mozart." This CD features her lush voice taking on songs of three great Bel Canto composers--Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. Some might think of these as trifles, but the singing and musicality is rich and the songs evocative. The piano accompaniment is by famed conductor James Levine, and he does a splendid job.

Some sampling of the songs. . . . The CD begins with a song by Rossini, "Aragones." This is lushly sung; Bartoli has a wondrously rich and textured voice. The pace is contemplative, altogether consistent with the words of the song, the reflection of a disappointed lover. Well done.

Donizetti's "Il barcaiolo" is also well done. Bartoli shows her vocal agility in this tune. This is a spirited song, and her coloratura technique animates her rendition. There are segments sung forte, showing the power of her voice. There is a nice soft closing to the song, so she ranges from forte to piano.

Bellini is represented, too. His "Vaga luna che inargenti" is a pleasant love song. Bartoli sings this tenderly, creating a melancholy spirit, fitting the song's words.

To close, there is Rossini's wonderful tarantella, "La danza." Levine plays at a quick pace, as he must for this spirited song. Bartoli shows great vocal agility and strong breath control (this is a tough song to get right!). A wonderfully spirited version. She even takes a pass at a trill toward the close. All in all, most satisfying.

Thus, this represents a nice CD, showing Bartoli's skills with the songs of some of the great Bel Canto composers. An album that is a lot of fun to listen to!

'An Italian Songbook' by mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli and accompaniest extraordinare, James Levine is the best of the three collections of Italian material from Bartoli I have reviewed to date. Much of this may be due to Levine, but I believe it is more due to the quality of the material selected. All songs are by 'heaviweights Vincenzo Belline, Gaetano Donizetti, and Gioachino Rossini. It is certainly not due to a difference in the quality of Ms. Bartoli's singing, which is uniformly beautiful throughout.

This would be my first choice for Italian material with only piano accompaniment. For a very first Bartoli album, see her 'flagship' recording, 'Cecilia Bartoli' where she is backed by full orchestra and chorus.

Italian art song never became the serious and high form of art that it did within Germany, and hasn't the same place in culture that the French mélodies had. Rather, Italian operatic composers wrote lighter vocal pieces with fairly simple piano accompaniment, designed to be performed in a more intimate setting. One hears immediately the Bellini line (so familiar to those who love Bellini's operas) in his songs - ditto with the Donizetti and Rossini songs.

This in no way robs the songs of immense charm. It would be easy to perform these songs without a great deal of thought, simply making them sound "pretty". But Cecilia Bartoli never does that - she always gives everything, voice, intelligence, musicality, to her performance.

That is what makes this recording so superb. I can see there are some less-than-satisfied reviewers - I am surprised by the comments. For rest assured, there is no vocal difficulty here at all. Cecilia Bartoli's voice is in superb condition throughout, and her interpretation is of course second to none. Having recorded "Vaga luna" myself, I would be the first to say if I thought anything was lacking in Ms Bartoli's performance - but there's nothing adverse I can say at all. It's simply gorgeous singing, with immaculate phrasing, an intensely personal approach, and some of the most beautiful sounds you're likely to hear.

It is hard to imagine anyone being disappointed by this recording. The comments made about squally sound are not just unfair, they're totally inaccurate. I remember purchasing this CD on the very day it was released in Australia, and it's a firm favourite of mine.

In all... delightful.